The Pledge Fic 4: The Cabin in the Woods
by KSPretenderFan
Summary: A little alone time in an out of the way cabin in the woods.


**AN: Week 3 of the Pledge was better than expected. We had another writer post a J/Z story. Yay, Samantha Feng and her story "A Quet Thing". Like LeaLiu, she is from China and her native language is Mandarin, but she did a stellar job in her English story. My bud POIJane posted the second installment of the Red Stiletto Diaries so check them out if you hadn't done so already. There are still authors that are telling me they are planning on writing J/Z fics so yay!**

**AN2: Saphrona Attecombe also posted a J/Z fic just tonight called Inevitable. Check it out, I thought it was well done! Thank you Saphrona Attecombe for taking the challenge!**

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**The Pledge: The Cabin in the Woods**

"Right turn in point five miles…" A soft female voice echoed in the Jeep.

Zoe sighed and for the hundredth time in the two hours driving she thought, _After a year and some odd months, he should know me better. _

She turned off the main, paved road and carefully navigated the narrow, one lane road that wound up around the mountain. It wasn't long before the Jeep was enveloped by dense woods, her sure-footed Jeep powered on. The trees surrounding the road formed a seemingly dark blockade. The road became darker as her drive progressed causing the automatic headlights to switch on. Peering up, she saw that the tree branches created an archway that closed out the daylight. _Awesome_, she thought, _dueling banjos anyone_?

She didn't give pause to the directions the GPS unit that came with the Jeep was instructing her to do. Did it have to sound so damn cheerful? Zoe's patience, what little there was of it, was nearing its breaking point.

"Time alone; just the two of us, he said." Zoe grumbled to herself. More than two hours from Manhattan, and as far as she could tell, damn near close to the end of the earth, Christ. When John suggested a weekend getaway in the mountains, she was all in. She had envisioned Aspen, skiing, and a chalet.

Her ire had grown through the next few weeks because he wouldn't give her specifics. No matter how much she begged, wheedled and cajoled, and she must say she was pretty creative with the wheedling and the cajoling, it didn't work. So she had been kept in the dark until now.

Turning into a driveway, she could see a small structure at the end. The driveway was flanked on either side by wooden split rail fences. Looking out through the window, she saw that numerous paths led off from the driveway she was on.

He was waiting on the porch when she drove down the driveway. Finally reaching her destination she pulled the Jeep to a stop. Almost instantly, at the sight of him, her ire melted away. It had been that way since the beginning, no matter how ticked off she was at something he had done, or at something he had said, as soon as she saw him, everything was right as rain.

Butterflies fluttered in her belly and her heart pounded furiously in her chest, as she got out of the Jeep. She was stiff from the long drive, her butt had long gone numb, but she was happy to see him come to her.

John had risen from the wooden chair he'd been sitting in and came down the porch steps to where she stood by the Jeep. Each step creaked as he came to her, her heart still pounding that furious rhythm. Will this feeling of awe ever go away? She didn't think so.

They greeted each other as they always did with a kiss; a mere brushing of lips; a chaste kiss if you will - one that expressed warmth but not ownership. It was very charming but did nothing to ease the butterflies in her stomach.

"Hi," he said as he cupped her face and brushed her cheeks with his thumbs.

"Hey," she replied pulling him close and leaning into his chest, feeling his cheek settle against the top of her head.

"Took you long enough," he chided.

"You're lucky driving a manual is like riding a bike . . ." she quipped as she pulled back. It had been a long time since she had driven a car, let alone a manual.

Her jaw dropped as she got a good look at where they were spending the weekend and her first thought was that she wanted to rip John a new one. Weekend in the mountains didn't mean miles from civilization in the forests of New York in what looked like a one bedroom log cabin that was built when Washington was President.

"John!" she said motioning towards the house.

"What?" he looked at her innocently. "Give it a chance. You haven't seen the inside yet."

"What's there to see, there only appears to be one room?" she complained. Her idea of roughing it was a three star hotel instead of a five star one. At least it wasn't a tent in the woods, a bush for a bathroom and leaves for toilet paper.

His face erupted into a wide grin and before she could do anything more than let out a surprised squeak, John grabbed her.

"What are you doing, you lunatic?" she yelped as she was swept off her feet and onto his shoulder in a very embarrassing fireman's carry.

"You will eat those words," John said swatting her butt and charging into the cabin.

* * *

"Okay, you got me. I am taking back everything I said about this place." Zoe said still on his shoulder hanging unceremoniously upside down.

"Told you," he reminded her with a half-smile as he set her back on her feet so she could better take in their accommodations. She felt his hand grab hers as he guided her through a short hallway into the main living room. The cabin was deceptively small from the outside, but the inside was a whole other matter.

The main room was comfortably yet stylishly decorated similar to a Swiss Chalet. The interior walls had been made to look as if they were indeed in a log cabin, planks overlapped horizontally and lightly stained as well as a vaulted ceiling allowed the interior of the home appear much larger. The fire glowed in the grate, and a large sofa as well as the matching recliner sat in front of a stone fireplace. The floor to ceiling glass windows were uncovered and rightfully so to give the inhabitants of the home a spectacular view of acres and acres of green trees accentuated by a smattering here and there of snow. The view was nature at its finest. A thick rug lay on the floor in front of the fire. Several doors led off from the room, all of which were closed, but he guided her to the first one.

"Bathroom," John said showing her the large spa tub as well as a standing shower stall in the corner, sink and toilet.

"Two bedrooms," he continued motioning towards the closed doors. The first room was clearly the master bedroom. A large bed was pushed into the corner, piled with pillows and cushions. A closet ran the length of the opposite wall, as well as a door that led to the master bathroom set up similarly to the hallway bathroom with a spa tub, shower, sink and toilet. The second was a much smaller spare bedroom.

"Well, very deceptive from the outside." Was all Zoe could say, her jaw still literally hanging open. "And who do we have to thank for the wonderful accommodations?"

"You have your people, I have mine," he said with a smile.

"John," Zoe said shaking her head as she walked back to the main room and straight to the windows. "This view is just spectacular," she admired then added, "Incredible."

"And it's all ours," He nodded, then qualified his statement by adding, "At least, it's at our disposal whenever we want it."

Still staring at the view, she asked. "Are those trails I see down there?"

"A few," he confessed. "There are some paths that I've already explored. I have aerial shots of them and we can explore some more tomorrow. It's like a network of trails, and each one leads down others then gradually tapers off until they disappear. Supposedly this cabin is situated in acres of land owned by a wealthy investor from France back in the fifties. He bought the land and set up the trails for his grandkids to explore on their own. There were even signs that mark the way to the house, but over time, the signs deteriorated."

"Neighbors?"

"Nope, my "people" own the entire mountain and most of the woods around it." He smiled. "And it's ours for the entire weekend," he stated softly. "I thought it would be good to have somewhere to go that was private and secluded to get away."

"So we can be uninhibited, run around naked if we want to?" she teased.

"Are you challenging me?" He smiled the same look he gave her in Far Rockaway when she asked him if he was in or out of their poker game.

* * *

"Would it be impolite to ask when I am going to get fed?" Zoe inquired as she followed John up a tree-lined trail. After showing her the view from the windows, John had decided that they still had enough time to explore some of the trails. Two hours later, they were still at it.

"Yes," John responded with a smile.

"Can you tell me at least an approximate time?" she muttered, though she smiled to herself. She truly wasn't hungry; she just wanted to give John a hard time. Was this what it was like for couples to go on a vacation together? Though they were squabbling like an old married couple, they were still having a good time. _God forbid_. Zoe thought as she shuddered. She may have spent the better part of the past year being intimate with John and even admitted her feelings for him, the thought of marriage still gave her pause.

They rounded a bend and the back of the cabin finally came into view. It was surrounded by a deck with a couple of wooden Adirondack chairs. John turned to face her, grinned, and stretched out his hand in a grandiose gesture.

"How about now?"

"Really? Because now means immediately," she stated, raising an eyebrow and folding her arms at her chest.

Rolling his eyes, he asked, "You doubt my word?" then reached for Zoe's hand and tugged her up the steps to the wooden deck as he commanded, "Just cool your jets, it won't take long to make dinner. It's already prepped; I just need to stick it in the oven."

"You know how to cook?" Zoe interjected giving him an incredulous look.

"Doesn't everyone?" He turned to look knowingly at her. "I know you can cook, you just don't like the clean up. C'mon, you have to help or you're doing the dishes by yourself," he coaxed, pulling her arm. She sighed and allowed him to drag her across the deck and into the kitchen.

John finally released her hand and headed around the island counter. He returned with a bar stool, set it down, and patted it. Taking the stool, Zoe commenced watching him get to work on dinner. She said nothing but just watched him make dinner like a pro; cutting vegetables for their salad and pan-searing their shrimp. Making a lemon sauce for their pasta and then tossing the shrimp in with the pasta. And by God, the kitchen smelled heavenly.

Zoe started as she realized that once again, she and John were engaging in something utterly domestic and were still having a good time. _Shoot me in the ass, _She thought to herself. Domesticity was not a word in her vocabulary. Of course, a year ago, long-term relationship wasn't either. And certainly not (_gasp_) love.

Zoe sat there utterly astounded, speechless, GOBSMACKED. Zoe Morgan did not do domestic bliss, what was she thinking? Was she insane? Did she need to up her Zoloft prescription? Did she need to pull a Ross and Rachel and proclaim that they were "on a break?"

Zoe hadn't realized the true implications of what had transpired in the last year during the domestication of Zoe Morgan. No matter how much she went over it in her head, she still couldn't wrap her mind around it.

Glancing down at her hands, folded tightly and resting on the countertop, she realized that she had not said one word since coming into the kitchen. She could feel John reading her, watching her, assessing her. She heard him sigh heavily as he set the pan he was holding in the sink and walked around the island. Then she felt his hands on her hips and found herself facing him.

With meaningful stare, he began softly, "What's happening between us, this past year . . ." Responding to her look that clearly stated she didn't want to talk about it; he raised his palm up and added, "Whatever it is, don't over think it. Don't deny it can happen just because you never thought of it as it related to you. What? Everyone but us can have a long term relationship? Everyone but us can feel as if we've known each other forever? Everyone but us can love another human being," he tacked on with a smile.

Zoe fought to keep a rancorous smile from emerging. Failing miserably, she glanced away from him and grumbled, "How the hell do you do that?"

Cupping her cheeks, John tilted her face up and asked, "Do what?"

"Know what's bugging me. What's going through my head?"

With a smile he responded, "What can I say; I spent the better part of a year getting to know you without your walls up . . ." he paused then added cheekily, "or without your clothes on." A comment for which he earned a well deserved shove.

"It's not like it hasn't gone through my mind too," he admitted as he wrapped his arms around her, pulled her to him, and kissed her deeply. It was the kind of kiss she could never resist, as much as she had tried. Surrendering to it, she felt the tension and anxiety ease away from her body as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back just as deeply.

* * *

Late at night was the worst for Zoe, she stood by the floor to ceiling windows in the living room, just staring out contemplating. It was always when the doubts crept in and was most acute at times like this, when they reached some sort of decision or agreement or whatever it was that was happening between them. It irked her that he had known what she was thinking and what was causing her confusion. It irked her even more when he was right.

When she looked at him, she always saw deep compassion in his eyes, something she believed she always lacked. But in the past year, he showed her that that wasn't true. That it was just one of the many things they shared. Their unspoken bonds ran deep and that was what made this so damn good.

She hadn't bothered to turn the lights on since it was well into the early hours of the morning. Not wanting to wake John, she had crept out of bed as quietly as she could. She shouldn't have been surprised when she felt strong arms come around her from behind; one across her chest, the other across her waist. After all, she had felt him approach, felt him stop when he was close behind her. Though she hadn't heard him and wasn't aware of a single sound other than the faint hum of the kitchen appliances; she knew he was there. Every nerve in her skin was screaming recognition, telling her that happiness was just around the corner.

He pressed a soft kiss to her temple then laid his chin on the top of her head. "Why do you insist on over thinking things and doing this to yourself? Am I so horrible a bed partner that you have to find an excuse to leave our bed?"

Sensing that he was only half-joking she wrapped her hands around his forearm that was lying across her chest and hugged it tightly. "Quite the opposite; I've come to a decision. You make me so happy that I'm afraid I'll forget and begin to take this all for granted. And I never want to do that." She said simply marking the end of her misgivings.

"It's about damn time woman," he leaned down and whispered in her ear, giving it a slight nip for good measure.

Leisurely, as if he delighted in the feel of her skin, he caressed down the length of her arm. Though his hands were warm and hard, his touch was gentle. She leaned her head back on his bare chest and sighed. As his hand reached her fingers, he slowly stroked over them before moving back up her arm just as slowly as when he had moved down. When he reached her shoulder he continued on to her neck, where he brushed her long hair aside and slid his fingertips lightly over column of her throat, the curve of her jaw, following the delicate paths of ligament and muscle and distribution goose bumps all over her entire body. He then turned his attention to the shoulder strap of her cotton tank top, playing with it, sliding his fingers under it pushing off her shoulder and kissing the bared skin gently. He licked with his tongue and nipped with his teeth, soothing the nips with kisses when he was done.

"Breathe, Zoe," he said, laughing. "My plans don't involve you passing out. . ."

She let out a puff of air realizing that she had been holding her breathe for such a long time that she had been on the brink of blacking out. His bare chest was just so warm; she could feel him at her back, through her skimpy tank.

Unhurriedly, little by little, he moved his hand down her side, the warmth of his stroke burning through the cotton of her tank. He reached the waistband of her flannel pajama pants, his fingers dipping underneath, discovering, as a pleasant surprise, her lack of panties. Zoe squeezed her eyes shut savoring his touch.

With her eyes closed, her sense of touch was heightened; her mind focusing on the hand that he moved ever so slowly over her belly. Muscles tightened and her entire body pulsed as he moved his hand up past her stomach while she waited with bated breath.

Air rushed out of her lungs when his hand finally closed over her breast; stroking it and cupping it in his palm, his thumb gently running over her nipple until it became a sharp point against her top. He then focused on the other breast and repeated the stroking, the cupping, and the gentle rubbing into a point.

Her senses went into overdrive. The pure bliss of the slightest touch obliterated her thoughts, leaving her reeling from the intensity of the feeling the lightest of touches from him invoked.

He dipped his head towards her neck, the warmth of his mouth, the gentleness of his lips, ran over the sensitive cord in the side of her neck as he pushed their bodies closer together. Her arm reached above her and grasped the back of his neck, playing with his hair.

"You're overdressed," he murmured, his lips roving over the skin of her neck as his other hand joined its partner underneath her top; both hands fondling her breasts, caressing them, and gently pulling at her nipples. His lips and hands made her stomach do flips, ebbing and flowing in a dizzying tide of awareness.

They could have been standing there for seconds, minutes, or hours. Zoe didn't really know; she was too focused on the pleasure that went on and on. Before she knew it, John had taken a hold of her tank and pulled it over her head. Instinctively, she moved to cross her arms over them, they were in front of a window for Christ's sake.

"John – the window . . . " she gasped.

John's response was to pull her arms away from her breasts and reach them back and around his neck. "Don't cover them, no one can see. We don't have neighbors, plus its dark both inside and out," he said running his lips close to her ear and swirling his tongue around it.

"But," she started to argue although not making a move to cover herself once more.

"Okay, there may be a possum or two, maybe a raccoon, they'll tune out eventually. . . " he said as she felt the smile by her temple. She couldn't help but smile back in response.

Her breath hitched when he continued to roll and tease the tips of her breasts, gently pinching. The movement caused a stirring of excitement down in her groin. She felt her body arching towards his hands as her fingers felt the hardness and thickness of muscles behind his neck. Feeling his excitement through her pants, she rolled her hips and pushed back against him.

She wanted to turn towards him, but he stayed her. She felt his hands tugging at the waistband of her pants as he bent her over slightly with her hands braced against the windows. Feeling the sudden coolness of air on her bare bottom, she heard the rustling of cotton as her pants were freed from her legs and feet.

She felt him as he moved back to her, softly whispering something low and soothing. Pressing against her nudity, he positioned himself closer. She felt the pressure of him at her opening as he bent over her, kissed her ear and whispered, "Ready for me sweetheart?" he said settling his chin right on her shoulder.

She turned her face towards him and sought his lips, then pulled a breadth apart. "Always," she responded.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, he stepped his legs between hers, pushing them apart. He bent his knees, lowering himself for a better angle, and with his other hand he prepared both of them for his imminent intrusion into her. He pushed up and in making sure his movements were slow and gentle.

Zoe writhed in pleasure as he pushed in; her thigh muscles tensing and relaxing. He caught her hips and pulled her to him, he braced her as he slowly pulled back and pushed forward again. One of his arms held her to him while the other reached down to her. He kept the pressure of his hand on her as he continued to move in and out, back and forth, his thickness and length reaching for something deep inside her, what it was she wasn't sure. All she knew was that he kept hitting the right spot each and every time. As she approached her release she could hear the almost unrecognizable sounds coming from her. Raw and primal, she didn't understand why this release she was building up to was any different than the many others she'd had in the past. Sounds of completion were emitted from her throat as the intensity became almost too much to bear and she would have lost her legs had it not been for his hold on her.

With a shudder and a deep groan, he buried himself to the hilt and felt his release. He thrust short and swift, steadily altering his tempo to deliberate and undulating as he drew out his own release. They clung together in the silent aftermath, drawing in air and trying to regain their strength. With his arms around her, he held her to him, not having the strength or the desire to let go.

She felt it this time this was the closest her life got to perfection. It may have been only a brief moment in time, but it was perfect. Their surrender to each other was complete, both of them understanding what it was between them. To him, she felt connected. With him, there didn't seem to be anything she couldn't do.

The End

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AN: loved it ? hated it? humana-humana-humana?


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